FAYETTEVILLE  Former Arkansas football coach John L. Smith has been named head coach of NCAA Division II Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo.

Smith, 64, will take over on March 1. He is currently under contract at Arkansas in an advisory role through Feb. 23.

The former head coach at Louisville and Michigan State served as the Razorbacks' head coach for the 2012 season, finishing 4-8. He replaced Bobby Petrino, who was fired last April for misconduct.

Smith, who had previously served three seasons as special teams coach for Arkansas, had been hired as head coach at his alma mater Weber State in December 2011. In 19 seasons, he has a career record of 136-93.